Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Toss mushrooms with olive oil and salt on a rimmed baking sheet. Bake, tossing once, until golden, 20 to 25 minutes. Transfer mushrooms to a 6-inch ovenproof skillet. Top with Taleggio. Bake until bubbly, about 5 minutes. Top with fresh thyme. Serve with crostini.

Add 1 cup mushroom broth and stir until thickened, about 1 minute. Gradually add 1 more cup broth and cook for 2 minutes. Sauce should have gravy-like consistency; thin with more broth if necessary. Adjust seasoning. (May be prepared to this point several hours ahead and reheated.)

Just before serving, put butter and 1 tablespoon olive in wide skillet over medium high heat. When butter begins to brown, add chanterelles, season with salt and pepper, and sauté for about 2 minutes, until cooked through and beginning to brown. Add garlic and parsley, stir to coat and cook 1 minute more. Add chanterelles to brown mushroom mixture and transfer to a warm serving bowl. Accompany with polenta or pasta if you wish.

Heat the oil in a 15-inch paella pan or cast iron skillet over medium heat. In a medium bowl, add the cooked rice and mushrooms and mix to combine. Add the rice mixture to the hot oil and press into an even layer on the bottom of the pan. Press down with heat-proof rubber spatula until the bottom begins to turn golden brown and crispy.

Add the kale on. Make 4 shallow wells in the top of paella and crack 1 egg into each well. Cover paella pan with aluminum foil or another large pan. Cook paella over medium heat until egg whites are just set, about 5-7 minutes. Remove from heat.

Top the paella with fried artichokes, lemon zest and drizzle with chile oil and saffron sauce. Serve straight from the pan.

For the Cooked Rice: heat the oil in a large high-sided sauté pan or medium Dutch oven. Add the onion and cook until soft, about 4 minutes. Add the wine and cook until reduced.

Add 2 cups of the stock and cook until reduced then begin adding 1 cup of stock at a time and cook, stirring constantly, until the cook is al dente, about 30 minutes; season with salt and pepper.

For the Sautéed Mushrooms: heat the oil in a large sauté pan over high heat until it begins to shimmer. Add the mushrooms and cook until soft, about 5 minutes.

Add the shallots and garlic and cook until the mushrooms are golden brown and dry, season with salt and pepper.

For the Mushroom Stock: heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion, carrot, and celery and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, 5-7 minutes. Add cremini mushrooms, thyme, parsley, peppercorns, salt, and 8 cups cold water, bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer and cook for 30 minutes. Remove from the heat and let sit for 30 minutes longer.

Strain stock into a clean saucepan and keep warm over low heat (you should have about 7 cups).

For the Sautéed Kale: heat oil in large sauté pan over high heat until it begins to shimmer. Add the kale and cook until crisp tender, add garlic, salt and pepper and cook until just cooked through, about 6 minutes.

For the Calabrian Chile Oil: (Yields approximately ½ cup) combine chiles and oil in a food processor and process until smooth, season with salt and pepper and let sit at room temperature for 30 minutes. Strain through a mesh strainer into a bowl. Transfer to a nice cruet.

For the Saffron Yellow Pepper Sauce: combine the saffron, vinegar, garlic, mustard and salt and pepper in a blender and let sit for 5 minutes; blend until smooth

With the motor running, slowly add the oil and blend until emulsified; add the honey and blend for a few seconds longer. Taste for seasoning, adding more salt or pepper or vinegar, if needed. Transfer to a squeeze bottle.

For Fried Baby Artichokes: heat oil in a high sided pan to 350ºF. Fry the artichokes until golden brown and crisp. Transfer to a plate lined with paper towels and season with salt.

Tips:
– The best part of paella is the crust on the bottom called the soccarat. The goal is to achieve a crispy, browned crust all the way around the bottom of the paella pan. Monitor heat and rotate the pan to prevent burning and even browning!
– Use store-bought mushroom stock for a short-cut!

Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large pan or skillet over medium heat and saute mushrooms, seasoned with salt and covered, for 15-20 minutes, or until softened.
Stir occasionally and reduce heat if mushrooms start to burn.

Add spinach to mushrooms and pour in lemon juice. Cook until wilted, then add walnuts.
Cook pasta according to packaging directions, or until al dente. Drain (reserving 1/2 cup pasta water) and set aside.

Add heavy cream to the spinach and mushrooms, stirring well, and mix in Parmesan cheese. If sauce is too thick, add pasta water one tablespoon at a time.
Taste and season with salt and pepper, if necessary.

Pour drained pasta into the sauce and toss well to coat thoroughly. Cook on low heat for 5 minutes, or until sauce thickens and sticks to pasta.

Transfer to serving plates, garnish with more Parmesan and serve hot. Serves 4-6

*note that the amounts of the veggies are easy to modify and switch out as needed. You just want about enough veggies to fill up your pot pie serving dish
3/4 cup petite peas, organic (frozen)
1 large carrot, diced
1 small potato, peeled/diced (I used a sweet white yam, but you could use a plain white Russett potato or even a sweet potato) – about 1 1/4 cups when chopped
1/2 cup chickpeas, drained/rinsed (canned)
1/2 cup shiitake mushrooms, diced

spices/oil for veggie saute:
1/2 tsp olive oil
1/4 tsp salt
a few dashes of black pepper
1/2 tsp garlic powder
a few pinches of cayenne (optional)
(Any other dry spices/seasonings you would like to add)

*note: if you use a casserole dish or something with a larger opening space than my dish, you will need more crust to cover, so you may need to double my recipe

My dish: measures 9½ inches in diameter; holds 3.88 quarts

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. (Yes! At the start because this goes so fast!)

2. Add you cashews (about 1 1/2 cups before the are soaked) to a large bowl and cover with very hot water. The hottest setting on your tap. Add a pinch of salt and allow to sit while you do the veggie prep. (note: If you have time and plan ahead, soak the cashews for even longer – 4+ hours is great. This will help ease the blending process just a bit. This is advised if you are not using a high speed blender.)

3. Prep all your veggies. Set aside.

4. Add you potatoes to a deep skillet and cover with water. Bring to a boil and cover with lid. Reduce heat a bit and allow to cook until a tested potato is tender, but not mushy. Drain the water and set potatoes aside with other veggies.

5. Drain your cashews and add 2 cups of the soaked cashews to your blender. If you have any extra cashews you can thrown them in as well or toss them in whole with your veggie mix. Add the veggie broth, miso, sauce spices and acid. Blend from low to high until smooth and creamy. This may take a minute or so. Set aside. (Adjust salt and seasonings if desired.)

6. In that same skillet, add your oil and when the oil is hot add in the carrots, beans and mushrooms. Saute for a few minutes until cooked down. Then add in the peas and potatoes and saute until peas thaw a bit. Over medium heat.

7. Pour the base sauce over top the veggie saute and toss until all the veggies are well coated. Turn heat to high and saute for another 1-2 minutes so that the flavor of the nutty sauce develops a bit.

9. Quickly mix up your dry ingredients for your crust. Then using your hands, mash in the coconut oil. Then one tablespoon at a time, add in the water. Mixing with every new spoonful. Keep adding until your dough in kneadable yet still moist. When this occurs, knead a bit then roll out on a floured surface. This does not to be perfect at all! I very quickly pressed and rolled out my dough (as you can tell by the crumbly state after baking). Add to top of your serving dish and slice a few vent lines in top. Lastly, squeeze a bit or orange juice over top – or brush pastry lightly with it. It gives a subtle orange tint that beats an “egg wash” any day!

10. Bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes. Serve after about 20 minutes of cooling. Store in fridge and reheat as needed. Eat within 3 days. This dish probably freezes quite well, but I have not tested freezing yet.

In a large nonreactive saucepan, heat the vegetable oil over moderately high heat. Add the white mushrooms, Portobello stems, onion and garlic and cook, stirring, until the mushrooms release their liquid, about 5 minutes.

Add the wine, soy sauce, dried mushrooms, salt, herbes de Provence and 6 cups of water and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce the heat to moderate and simmer until the liquid is reduced to about 4 cups, about 1 hour.

Pour the broth through a fine strainer into a heatproof bowl. Strain again, leaving any particles at the bottom of the bowl.

The story of chili always ends with the statement that it’s better the second day. So why don’t we just make it ahead of time and consider that first day as part of the cooking process? I do. My “vegan-ified” version uses pecans, which have a distinct richness and “meaty” mouthfeel, and play very nicely with the brown spices. The dried mushrooms are a nifty addition that I learned from Cook’s Illustrated. Not only do the pulverized mushrooms thicken the chili, they also add that forest-floor bass note that we interpret as “hearty.” I keep some dried mushroom powder in my spice rack at all times—whatever’s cheapest—and you should too. A spoonful will add a layer of complexity to vegan dishes and omnivorous dishes alike.

3 tablespoons vegetable oil

16 ounces button mushrooms, stems removed, wiped clean, and quartered

1 yellow onion, diced

1 large green bell pepper, seeds and ribs removed, diced

2 jalapeño peppers, seeds and ribs removed, finely minced

2 garlic cloves, finely minced

2 cups pecans (about 7 ounces), toasted, very finely chopped

1 tablespoon chili powder

1 tablespoon ground cumin

1 tablespoon dried oregano

1 cinnamon stick

Two 15-ounce cans kidney beans, drained and rinsed

One 28-ounce can diced tomatoes, with juice

2 cups vegetable stock (or vegetable broth, and cut the salt by half)

One 15-ounce can tomato sauce

One 1-ounce package dried mushrooms (whatever is cheapest), pulverized in a blender

1 tablespoon kosher salt

In a large heavy-bottomed pot over medium-high heat, heat the oil and add the fresh mushrooms. Cook, stirring only once, until browned, about 6 minutes.

Add the rest of the ingredients to the pot. Scrape the bottom of the pot and stir to incorporate. Simmer until the vegetables and nuts are soft, about 30 minutes. Let cool. Refrigerate overnight.

HOLD IT? Keep the chili in the fridge for up to 4 days.

Reheat the chili in a pot over low heat, stirring often.

PLATE IT! My ideal chili-serving vessel would be the dolsot, which is an individual Korean earthenware bowl that retains tons of heat. You can find them online. Warm them up slowly in the oven, and then ladle in the chili. Or you can scoop the chili into a bowl. Garnish with whatever you like (see below).

BREAK IT: Chili is kind of an open-source recipe. Now that you’ve made it, customize it to your liking. Change the beans, add some greens, or even wrap it in a tortilla and fry it up like the chimichangas.

In a food processor, add the mushrooms. Pulse to finely chop. Remove to a bowl and set aside.

In the same food processor, add the onions and pulse to finely chop. Remove to a separate bowl and set aside. Repeat with the carrots, celery and garlic, and add to the bowl with the onions. Set aside.

In a large, heavy-bottomed pot, add olive oil and place over medium heat.

Add the mushrooms and cook, stirring occasionally until browned, about 5-7 minutes. Add the onions, carrots, celery, and garlic, season with salt, and cook until the vegetables are translucent, about 5 more minutes.

Add the tomato paste, stir to combine and cook for 2 minutes. Add the milk and wine, and simmer over medium-low heat for 1 to 1 1/2 hours. Season with salt and pepper, to taste, and remove from the heat.

Helpful Tip: make the Vegetable Bolognese ahead of time and freeze up to a month!

In a very large skillet, melt 3 tablespoons of the butter in 2 tablespoons of the olive oil over moderately high heat, swirling, until the butter is golden, about 2 minutes. Add 1/3 of the shallots to the skillet and cook, stirring, until softened, about 1 minute. Add 1/3 of the mushrooms and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender and golden, 5 to 7 minutes. Add 1/3 of the pickle brine and cook until absorbed, about 1 minute. Transfer the mushrooms to a serving bowl and keep warm. Repeat the process 2 more times with the remaining butter, olive oil, mushrooms and pickle brine. Season the mushrooms with salt and pepper to taste and serve.